Incinerator

ABSTRACT

An incinerator for burning waste material includes a combustion chamber having spaced end walls and a sidewall through which a mixture of waste material and air is introduced under pressure tangentially for establishing a vortical movement of the waste material toward one of the end walls. The waste material is ignited during its vortical movement and the chamber includes a discharge flue at the one end wall which is concentric with the central axis of the chamber and which has an open end in the chamber spaced axially of the one end wall. A second discharge port adjacent the one end wall extends tangentially through the sidewall for discharging from the chamber products residual combustible material and noncombustible material entrained in the outer region of the vortex. The discharged material is conveyed through a conduit to a separator which separates the discharged gases and solid material. The separated gases and any solid particles suspended therein are introduced back into the chamber. A baffle is mounted on the flue adjacent its open end for deflecting outwardly toward the sidewall solid material which moves from adjacent the one end wall toward the open end of the flue.

United States Patent [72] Inventors RobertJoelllasselbring Shelbyville;Robert Loren Shields, Rushville, 1nd.

211 Appl.No. 869,823 [22] Filed Oct.27,'l969 45 Patented Mayil, 1971[73] Assignee General Electric Company [54] INCINERATOR 23 Claims, 4Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.Cl.'. 110/8,

1 110/119 [51] lnt.Cl F23g5/12 [50] FieldofSearch 110/7(R),

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,614,513 10/1952Milleretal. 110/7 2,917,011 12/1959 Korner 110/28 3,453,976 7/1969Burden,Jr.etal 110/7X 3,482,533 12/1969 Ankersen 110/120 PrimaryExaminer-Kenneth W. Sprague Att0rneysDavid M. Schiller, Arthur E.Fournier, J r., Frank L. Neuhauser, Oscar B. Waddell and Joseph B.Forman ABSTRACT: An incinerator for burning waste material includes acombustion chamber having spaced end walls and a sidewall through whicha mixture of waste material and air is introduced under pressuretangentially for establishing a vortical movement of the waste materialtoward one of the end walls. The waste material is ignited during itsvortical move ment and the chamber includes a discharge flue at the oneend wall which is concentric with the central axis of the chamber andwhich has an open end in the chamber spaced axially of the one end wall.A second discharge port adjacent the one end wall extends tangentiallythrough the sidewall for discharging from the chamber products residualcombustible material and noncombustible material entrained in the outerregion of the vortex. The discharged material is conveyed through aconduit to a separator which separates the discharged gases and solidmaterial. Theseparated gases and any solid particles suspended thereinare introduced back into the chamber. A baffle is mounted on the flueadjacent its open end for deflecting outwardly toward the sidewall solidmaterial which moves from adjacent the one end wall toward the open endof the flue.

PATENTED um I I9?! 3, 577.940

SHEET 1 OF 2 ATTORNEY INCINEIRATOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Fieldof the Invention This invention relates to incinerators and hasparticular relation to industrial and municipal-type incinerators forbuming waste material.

2. Description of the Prior Art Conventional industrial andmunicipal-type incinerators ordinarily include one or more combustionchambers having drying grates with a flue for discharging to atmospherethe gaseous products of combustion of waste material in the chambers.Depending upon the efficiency of a particular incinerator design varyingamounts of noxious gases and ash are discharged through the flue toatmosphere. Prior incinerator designs in general have been incapable ofeffecting good combustion of waste material such that the products ofthe resulting incomplete combustion consist of a large quantity ofnoxious gases and ash which are discharged to the surrounding atmospherein the form of dense acrid smoke.

In an effort to comply with regulatory air pollution codes, more recentincinerator designs have provided for cleaning the gaseous products ofcombustion prior to their discharge to atmosphere. Such flue gascleaning apparatus is usually of costly and bulky construction and insome cases has not operated to clean the flue gases sufficiently tocomply with the regulatory codes. One known flue gas cleaning apparatusincludes means for conducting the gaseous products of combustion throughwater sprays so that the suspended ashes and other particulate matterare entrained in the water which is then collected and conveyed to asuitable clarification system. This type of flue gas cleaning apparatusis expensive and complex and contributes not only to the high cost andmassive structure of prior art incinerators but also to water pollution.Further, the very high temperatures within the chambers necessary toeffect good combustion result in very hot flue gases which may result ininefficient operation of the flue gas cleaning apparatus and resultingundesirable pollution of the surrounding atmosphere. The provision offlue gas cleaning apparatus thus imposes a limitation upon thetemperature within the combustion chambers which contributes to the poorcombustion realized by certain prior art designs.

It is necessary of course that provision be made for collecting anddisposing of any residual combustible material and noncombustiblematerial. One known apparatus for accomplishing this function comprisesa conveyor disposed beneath the combustion chambers for receiving suchmaterial and for conveying the same from the combustion chambers to asuitable disposition area. Such conveying apparatus is also very costlyand in addition occupies considerable space which further contributes tothe high cost and massive structure of prior art incinerators.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is therefore a primary object of theinvention to provide a novel and improved incinerator capable ofefiecting substantially complete combustion of waste material andwherein essentially solid-free flue gases are discharged to theatmosphere to minimize air and water pollution.

It is another object of the invention to provide a novel and improvedincinerator of such character which avoids the use of costly and complexflue gas cleaning apparatus.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel and improvedvortex incinerator of the foregoing character wherein residualcombustible material and noncombustible material are discharged from thecombustion chamber during the burning process by action of the vortexwithout the use of costly and bulky material-handling and conveyingapparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In carrying out the invention in one preferredform, an incinerator is provided which includes a combustion chamberhaving spaced end walls and a sidewall with its central longitudinalaxis extending between the end walls. The chamber is preferably disposedin operative position with its central longitudinal axis extendinghorizontally or substantially horizontally. Means are provided forintroducing a mixture of waste material and air under pressure into thechamber tangentially to the sidewall for establishing a vorticalmovement of the waste material toward one of the end walls and provisionis made for igniting the waste material during its vortical movement. Adischarge flue is located adjacent the one end wall and extendssubstantially concentric with the central longitudinal axis of thechamber and a second discharge port is located in the region of the oneend wall adjacentthe inner surface of the sidewall for discharging fromthe chamber residual combustible material and noncombustible materialentrained in the outer region of the vortex. The material discharged bythe second port is conveyed through a conduit to a separator whichseparates the gases and the solid material and means are provided tointroduce the separated gases and any solid particles suspended thereinback into the combustion chamber.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. I is a view in top plan of anincinerator embodying the invention;

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawing thereis illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 an incinerator embodying the inventionand comprising in general a size-reduction unit for chopping up thewaste material, a pneumatic conveying system which receives the choppedmaterial, a vortex combustion chamber for receiving the chopped materialfrom the pneumatic conveying system, discharge means for discharginggaseous products of combustion, residual combustible material andnoncombustible material from the combustion chamber, and a separator forseparating the gases and solid material discharged by the dischargemeans. The incinerator of the present invention is particularly suitedfor disposing of solid industrial and municipal waste material such asfor example, paper, peanut hulls, cardboard cartons, wood scrap,garbage, foliage, bottles, cans and combustible floor sweepings.However, the incinerator is also capable of disposing of liquid wastematerial such as oils, paint sludges and plating tank residue.

More specifically, the incinerator as shown in FIG. 1 includes asize-reduction unit 10 designed to shred and chop the waste materialinto pieces small enough to be efficiently conveyed to and burned in thecombustion chamber. If the waste material to be disposed of is alreadyof an acceptable size, such as sawdust, 'then the size-reduction unit 10is not required. The size-reduction unit 10 may be of any suitableconstruction and includes a hopper 12 having an open end 13 into whichthe waste material is fed for size reduction by a shredding and choppingmechanism (not shown) operated by a motor 14. After being reduced insize the waste material is drawn into a pneumatic conveying systemincluding .a blower l6 operated by a motor 18 which entrains thesize-reduced material in an airstream and transports it through a pipe20 which opens into a combustion chamber 22.

The combustion chamber 22 may be of any suitable configuration and ispreferably cylindrical including a pair of spaced end walls 24 and 26connected by an annular sidewall 28. The chamber 22 is preferablydisposed when in operative position so that its central longitudinalaxis which extends between the end walls 24 and 26 is horizontal orsubstantially horizontal as shown in FIG. 3. If desired, the end wall 26of the chamber 22 may include an access door 30 to pennit access to theinterior of the chamber 22. In the specific embodiment of the inventionillustrated, the sidewall 28 of the chamber 22 comprises an outer casing32 (FIGS. 3 and 4) formed of suitable material such as a low carbonsteel and the casing 32 is lined with one or more inner layers 34 and 36of suitable material such as fire brick. The innermost layer 34 isdesigned to exhibit good resistance to abrasion whereas the layer 36 maybe designed to have good heat-insulating qualities or to transfer theheat to a remote location. The end walls 24 and 26 of the chamber 22 maybe similarly formed of an outer layer of low carbon steel with innerlayers of fire brick. In the embodiment illustrated, the pipe enters thechamber 22 tangentially of the sidewall 28 near the topof the chamber 22adjacent the end wall 26 and at the left side of the chamber as viewedin FIG. I. In certain installations it may be desirable to have the pipe20 enter the chamber 22 at an area which is substantially midway betweenthe end walls 24 and 26.

Continuous injection of a mixture of waste material and air into thechamber 22 under pressure from the pipe 20 tangentially to the sidewall28 establishes a vortical flow of the waste material which travels fromadjacent the end wall 26 toward the end wall 24 in a clockwise directionas viewed from the end wall 26 in FIG. 1 or in the direction of thearrow 37 in FIG. 4. It is understood of course that the pipe 20 may bedisposed to enter the chamber 22 at the upper right-hand side thereofinstead of at the upper left-hand side in which event the direction ofthe vortex would be reversed from the clockwise direction illustrated toa counterclockwise direction.

In order to ignite the waste material entering the chamber 22, asuitable gas burner 38 is disposed near the end wall 26 of the chamber22 to fire tangentially into the chamber adjacent the bottom and at theright side thereof as viewed in FIG. I. Under conditions wherein amixture of waste material and air is continuously fed into the chamber22, it has been observed that the burner 38 may ordinarily be turned offafter ignition of the waste material is accomplished.

In order to enhance combustion of the waste material and to maintain itsvortical flow provision is made for introducing a controlled quantity ofsecondary air into the chamber 22 continuously during the burningprocess. To this end a fan 40 driven by a motor 42 is disposed tointroduce secondary air into the chamber 22 preferably near the bottomand at the right side thereof as viewed in FIG. I. The secondary air isinjected tangentially to the sidewall 28 at an area downstream of thearea of introduction of the mixture of primary air and waste material.If desired, means (not shown) may be provided for preheating thesecondary air which is introduced into the chamber 22 by the fan 40.With the described arrangement the combustible waste material issubstantially completely burned in suspension in a free vortex with theheavier solid waste fragments and noncombustible material traveling in avortical path along the inner surface of the layer 34 and migratingtoward the end wall 24. The solid material is forced toward the innersurface of the layer 34 by the tangential component of velocity of thevortex whereas the radially inward component of velocity creates highrelative velocity between the air and burning material which greatlyaccelerates the combustion rate.

In order to discharge gaseous products of combustion from the chamber 22to atmosphere first discharge means is pro-. vided including a firstdischarge port or flue 44 having an open end opening in the chamber inthe region of the end wall 24 and substantially concentric with thecentral longitudinal axis of the chamber 22. As best shown in FIG. 3 theflue 44 includes a hollow cylinder 46 of any suitable material extendingthrough an opening of a casting 48 which forms part of the end wall 24.In the particular embodiment of the invention shown the end wall 24includes adjacent layers 50 and 52 formed of suitable material such asfire brick, a casting 54, and an outer annular plate 56 all securedtogether by suitable fasteners (not shown) and all surrounding thecasting 48. An annular plate 57 surrounds the cylinder 46 and is joinedto its outer periphery. The plate 57 is secured to the casting 48 at itsouter surface by suitable fasteners (not shown) and overlaps a portionof the plate 56. The plates 56 and 57 are detachably secured together inany suitable manner at their overlapping portions in order to detachablyconnect the flue 44 and the casting 48 to the end wall. The cylinder 46is releasably attached to a flue section 58 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 whichincludes a vertically extending portion 58a outside the chamber 22 whichterminates in an open end 59 (FIG. 1) opening to atmosphere.

In accord with the invention second discharge means is provided fordischarging from the chamber 22 during the burning process residualcombustible material and noncombustible material. For this purpose thepreferred embodiment provides a second discharge port 60 having an openend 62 opening in the chamber 22in the region of the end wall 24 andadjacent the inner surface of the layer 34 for receiving and dischargingfrom the chamber residual combustible material and noncombustiblematerial which are entrained in the outer region of the vortex. In theillustrated embodiment the port 60 comprises a conduit extending throughthe sidewall 28 tangentially thereto and substantially horizontally atthe top of the chamber as viewed in FIG. 4 with its open end 62 openingat the inner surface of the layer 34. The conduit 60 leads to suitableseparator and disposal means described hereinafter. With the describedarrangement the open end 62 of the conduit 60 is in the path of theresidual combustible material and the noncombustible material which areat the outer region of the vortex and which have migrated to adjacentthe end wall 24, and the action of the vortex causes such material toenter the open end 62 for discharge from the chamber 22. While theconduit 60 is shown in FIG. 4 as extending horizontally at the top ofthe chamber 22, it is understood that the conduit 60 may be disposed inany angular position about the axis of the chamber 22. For example, incertain installations it may be desirable to position the conduit 60 sothat it extends vertically and downwardly. It is also understood thatalthough a single conduit 60 is illustrated, a plurality of suchconduits may be provided if desired spaced angularly about the axis ofthe chamber. Moreover, the conduit 60 may be replaced by a scooppositioned to receive material in the outer region of the vortex andconnected to a conduit extending through the end wall 24.

Most if not all of the residual combustible material and noncombustiblematerial will enter the conduit 60 as they initially reach the end wall24. However, in the event that such material does not enter the conduit60 when it initially reaches the end wall 24, this material becomesentrained in the stream of hot gases which normally flows in thedirection of the arrows 64 along the inner surface of the end wall 24toward the open end 65 of the flue pipe 46 where a low-pressure areaexists. If the open end of the flue pipe 46 were flush with end wall, aconsiderable portion of this material would enter the flue pipe 46 thusnecessitating provision of flue gas cleaning apparatus to avoidpollution of the surrounding atmosphere. In accord with the inventionmeans are provided to minimize the amount of such solid material whichexits from the chamber 22 through the flue pipe 46. As illustrated inFIG. 3 such means comprises an extension of the flue pipe 46 into thechamber 22 so that the open end of the flue pipe 46 is spaced axiallyfrom the end wall 24. With this arrangement the solid material whichdoes not enter the conduit 60 tends to move from adjacent the end wall24 along the outside diameter of the flue pipe 46 toward its open end.Such movement increases the time of residence of the material in thechamber 22 thus resulting in more complete combustion and a reduction inthe amount of this material which enters the flue pipe as compared tothe amount entering the flue pipe if its open end were flush with theend wall 24.

In order to still further reduce the amount of solid material enteringthe flue pipe 46 the invention provides a baffle 66 positioned adjacentthe open end of the flue pipe 46 to divert outwardly toward the innerlayer 34 of the chamber 22 residual combustible material andnoncombustible material which move from adjacent the end wall 24 towardthe open end of the flue pipe 46. The arrangement is such that solidmaterial moving in the direction of the arrows 64 engages the baffle 66and is there by deflected in the direction of the arrow 67 so that thematerial so diverted once again becomes entrained in the vortex forfurther burning and movement toward the end wall 24 for dischargethrough the conduit 60. As shown in H6. 3, the baffle 66 preferablycomprises a plate of any suitable material in the form of a ringreleasably attached asby bolts 69 to another ring-shaped plate 70 whichis welded or otherwise secured to the pipe 46 adjacent its open end. Asshown in FIG. 2 the baffle 66 may overlie the open end of the flue pipe46 and includes a central orifice 71 which has a diameter less then theinner diameter of the flue pipe 46. The outside diameter of the baffle66 and the diameter of its orifice 71 are selected to provide optimumperformance for the conditions involved. Under certain conditions thebaffle 66 may surround the pipe 46 adjacent its open end as shown inFIG. 3. The detachable mounting of the flue 44 to the end wall 26 aspreviously described permits detachment of the flue'pipe 46 and thebaffle 66 from the chamber 22 so as to permit replacement or repair ofpipe 46 and baffle 66 as desired.

The present invention further provides a separator 72 which is effectivefor separating the gases and the solid material discharged through theconduit 60 and for dropping the solid material into a suitable container74. The separator 72 is preferably a commercially available cyclone orvortex-type separator wherein material discharged through the conduit 60is introduced tangentially into the separator 72 with the result thatthesolid material drops out the open end of the separator 72 into thecontainer 74. Such solid material constitutes ashes and otherparticulate matter formed in the combustion process and alsononcombustible material which can be disposed of in any suitable manner.While most of the residual combustible material and the noncombustiblematerial are delivered to the separator 72, a small portion of suchmaterial settles to the bottom of the chamber 22. This settled materialmay periodically be removed from the chamber in any suitable manner.

In accord with the invention the hot gases separated out by theseparator 72 are introduced back into the chamber 22. This is veryadvantageous in that it maintains the vortex within the chamber 22,further cleans such gases by removing residual fly ash, and dries outwet waste material within the chamber 22. For this purpose a conduit 76extends coaxially into the separator 72 at the top thereof so that thehot gases separated by action of the separator 72 are drawn into theconduit 76 through the central low-pressure area and are conveyedthrough the conduit 76 to a fan 78-operated by a motor 80 to withdrawthe separated hot gases from the conduit 76 and to introduce such intothe chamber 22. These gases are preferably introduced into the chamber22 at an area downstream from the area of introduction of the secondaryair. However, under certain conditions the secondary air fan 40 may beemployed instead of the fan 78 tointroduce the separated gases back intothe chamber 22.

By means of the invention a very efficient incinerator is providedcharacterized by the exhaust of gases to the atmosphere which aresubstantially free of particulate matter so as to minimize air and waterpollution. In addition, residual combustible material and noncombustiblematerial are discharged from the combustion chamber during the burningprocess by action of the vortex so as to avoid the provision of costlyand 'complex material-handling apparatus for conveying such materialaway from the combustion chamber. Further, the provision of costly andcomplex flue gas cleaning apparatus is avoided by the invention whichallows operation of the incinerator at temperatures which are higherthan that which would be allowable in the event flue gas cleaningapparatus were utilized. Moreover, the incinerator effects substantiallycomplete combustion of combustible waste material resulting in anextremely high percentage reduction in the original volume of wastematerial.

A typical design of the incinerator of the present invention includes acombustion chamber having an internal length of 8 feet and an innerdiameter of 454 feet. The flue pipe 46 has an inner diameter of 4 feetand extends into the chamber a distance of about 16 inches from theinner surface of the wall 24. The baffle plate 66 has a diameter ofapproximately 35 inches and its orifice 71 has a diameter of about 2feet which is the same as the inner diameter of the flue pipe 46. Also,the conduit 60 has an inner diameter of 4 inches. An incinerator of suchdesign presently appears capable of disposing of solid waste having upto 20 percent moisture content and normally 10 percent ash content witha heat value of 6,000 B.t.u. per pound at a rate 4,000 pounds per hourto effect close to 98 percent destruction of combustible material. Itpresently appears that such an incinerator design emits particulatematter to the atmosphere of not more than 0.2 grains per standard drycubic foot of flue gas. The foregoing results seem to be obtainable withchamber temperatures between 1,2007 F. and 2,200" F.

H0. 2 shows dimensions of the diameter of the orifice 71 and the innerdiameter of the chamber 22 which are such that the ratio of the diameterof the orifice 71 to the inner diameter of the chamber 22 is about 0.3.Also, the corresponding dimensions shown in FIG. 3 provide acorresponding ratio of approximately 0.4. The concept of providingpredetermined ratios of the diameter of the open end of the dischargeflue port 44 to the inner diameter of the chamber 22 is not ourinvention but is the joint invention of Norman R. Dibelius and WilliamL. Zabriskie. I

Although the invention has been described with reference to certainspecific embodiments thereof, numerous modifications are possible and itis desired to cover all modifications falling within the spirit andscope of the invention.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States is:

We claim:

I. An incinerator for burning waste material comprising in combination;

a combustion chamber having spaced end walls and a combination; with itscentral longitudinal axis extending between said end walls,

means for introducing a mixture of waste material and air under pressureinto said chamber tangentially to said sidewall for establishing avortical movement of said waste material toward one of said end walls,

means for igniting said waste material during its vortical movement,

a first discharge flue port having an open end opening in said chambernear said one end wall and substantially concentric with said centrallongitudinal axis, and

a second discharge port having an open end opening in said chamber nearsaid one end wall and adjacent the inner surface of said sidewall fordischarging from said chamber during the burning process residualcombustible material and noncombustible material which are entrained inthe outer region of the vortex, whereby essentially solid-free gases aredischarged by said first port.

2. An incinerator as defined in claim 1 wherein the open end of saidfirst port is spaced axially of said one end wall.

3. An incinerator as defined in claim 2 including a bafile adjacent theopen end of said first port to divert outwardly toward said sidewallresidual combustible material and noncombustible material which movefrom adjacent said one end wall toward the open end of said first port.

4. An incinerator as defined in claim 1 including means for separatingthe gases and the solid material discharged by said second port and forintroducing said separated gases and any solid particles suspendedtherein back into said combustion chamber.

5. An incinerator as defined in claim 4 wherein said means forseparating includes a separator for receiving material discharged bysaid second port, a receptacle beneath said separator for receivingsolid material separated by said separator, a conduit in said separatorfor receiving the gases separated by said separator, and a blowerconnected to said conduit for introducing said separated gases into saidchamber.

6. An incinerator as defined in claim l including means for introducingsecondary air into said chamber tangentially to said sidewall at an areadownstream from the area of introduction of said waste material.

7. An incinerator as defined in claim 1 wherein the central longitudinalaxis of said chamber extends substantially horizontally, said first portextending coaxially of said central axis through said one end wall, saidsecond port extending tangentially through said sidewall.

8. An incinerator for burning waste material comprising in combination;

a combustion chamber having spaced end walls and a sidewall with itscentral longitudinal axis extending between said end walls,

means for introducing a mixture of waste material and air under pressureinto said chamber tangentially to said sidewall for establishing avortical movement of said waste material toward one of said end walls,

means for igniting said waste material during its vortical movement,

discharge flue means extending substantially coaxially of said centrallongitudinal axis through said one end wall and having an open end insaid chamber spaced axially of said one end wall, and

a second discharge port extending through said sidewall tangentiallythereto adjacent said one end wall for discharging from said chamberduring the burning process residual combustible material andnoncombustible material which are entrained in the outer region of thevortex, whereby essentially solid-free gases are discharged by said fluemeans.

9. An incinerator as defined in claim 8 including a baffle plate mountedon said flue means adjacent the open end thereof to divert outwardlytoward said sidewall residual combustible material and noncombustiblematerial which move from adjacent said one end wall toward the open endof said flue means.

10. An incinerator as defined in claim 9 wherein said bafile plateoverlies the'open end of said flue means and includes an orifice havinga diameter less than the diameter of the open end of said flue means,said baffle plate being removably mounted on said flue means.

11. An incinerator as defined in claim 8 including means for introducingsecondary air into said chamber tangentially to said sidewall at an areaadjacent the bottom of said chamber and downstream from the area ofintroduction of said waste material.

12. An incinerator as defined in claim 9 including connecting meansdetachably connecting said flue means to said one end wall, saidconnecting means being accessible from the exterior of said chamber topermit detachment of said flue means from said one end wall andwithdrawal of said flue means and said baffle plate through said one endwall.

13. An incinerator as defined in claim 8 including means for separatingthe gases and the solid material discharged by said second dischargeport and for introducing said separated gases and any solid particlessuspended therein back into said combustion chamber.

14. An incinerator as defined in claim 13 wherein said means forseparating includes a separator for receiving material discharged bysaid second port, a receptacle beneath said separator for receivingsolid material separated by said separator, a conduit in said separatorfor receiving the gases separated by said separator, and a blowerconnected to said conduit for introducing said separated gases into saidchamber.

15. An incinerator for burning waste material comprising in combination;

size-reducing means for receiving waste material and reducing it insize,

blower means for drawing the size-reduced material from thesize-reducing means and entraining it in an airstream,

a generally cylindrical combustion chamber having spaced end walls andan annular sidewall, said chamber being disposed such that its centralaxis extends substantially horizontally,

a conduit extending between said blower means and said chamber fordelivering the entrained size-reduced material to said chamber andintroducing it into said chamber tangentially to said sidewall forestablishing a vortical movement of said waste material toward one ofsaid end walls,

means for igniting said waste material during its vortical movement,

discharge flue means extending substantially coaxially of said centralaxis through said one end wall and having an open end in said chamberspaced axially of said one end wall,

a second discharge port having an open end opening in said chamber at anarea adjacent said one end wall and at the extremity of the insidediameter of said sidewall for discharging from said chamber during theburning process residual combustible material and noncombustiblematerial which are entrained in the outer region of the vortex, and

a baffle plate mounted on said flue means adjacent the open end thereofto divert outwardly toward said sidewall residual combustible materialand noncombustible material which move from adjacent said one end walltoward the open end of said flue means, whereby essentially solid-freegases are discharged by said flue means.

16. An incinerator as defined in claim 15 wherein said baffle plateoverlies the open end of said flue means and includes an orifice havinga diameter less than the diameter of the open end of said flue means,said baffle plate being mounted for removal from said flue means.

17. An incinerator as defined in claim 15 including means for separatingthe gases and the solid material discharged by said second dischargemeans and for introducing said separated gases and any solid particlessuspended therein back into said combustion chamber.

18. An incinerator as defined in claim 17 wherein said means forseparating includes a separator for receiving material discharged bysecond port, a receptacle beneath said separator for receiving solidmaterial separated by said separator, a conduit in said separator forreceiving the gases separated by said separator, and a blower connectedto said conduit for introducing said separated gases into said chamber.

19. An incinerator as defined in claim 15 wherein said second portextends tangentially through said sidewall.

20. An incinerator as defined in claim 15 wherein said conduitintroduces the size-reduced material into said chamber at an areaadjacent the top of the chamber at one side thereof, and means forintroducing secondary air into said chamber tangentially to saidsidewall at an area which is downstream from the area of introduction ofthe size-reduced material and which is adjacent the bottom of thechamber at the opposite side thereof.

21. An incinerator for burning waste material comprising in combination;

a combustion chamber having spaced end walls and a sidewall with itscentral longitudinal axis extending between said end walls,

means for introducing a mixture of waste material and air under pressureinto said chamber tangentially to said sidewall for establishing avortical movement of said waste material toward one of said end walls,

means for igniting said waste material during its vortical movement,

discharge port means in the region of said one end wall for dischargingfrom said chamber gaseous products of comin said separator for receivingthegases separated by said separator, and a blower connected to saidconduit for introducing said separated gases into said chamber.

23. An incinerator as defined in claim 22 wherein said waste material isintroduced into said chamber at an area adjacent the top of the chamberat one side thereof, said separated gases being introduced back intosaid chamber at an area which is downstream from the area ofintroduction of the waste material and which is adjacent the bottom ofthe chamber at the opposite side thereof.

1. An incinerator for burning waste material comprising in combination;a combustion chamber having spaced end walls and a combination; with itscentral longitudinal axis extending between said end walls, means forintroducing a mixture of waste material and air under pressure into saidchamber tangentially to said sidewall for establishing a vorticalmovement of said waste material toward one of said end walls, means forigniting said waste material during its vortical movement, a firstdischarge flue port having an open end opening in said chamber near saidone end wall and substantially concentric with said central longitudinalaxis, and a second discharge port having an open end opening in saidchamber near said one end wall and adjacent the inner surface of saidsidewall for discharging from said chamber during the burning processresidual combustible material and noncombustible material which areentrained in the outer region of the vortex, whereby essentiallysolid-free gases are discharged by said first port.
 2. An incinerator asdefined in claim 1 wherein the open end of said first port is spacedaxially of said one end wall.
 3. An incinerator as defined in claim 2including a baffle adjacent the open end of said first port to divertoutwardly toward said sidewall residual combustible material andnoncombustible material which move from adjacent said one end walltoward the open end of said first port.
 4. An incinerator as defined inclaim 1 including means for separating the gases and the solid materialdischarged by said second port and for introducing said separated gasesand any solid particles suspended therein back into said combustionchamber.
 5. An incinerator as defined in claim 4 wherein said means forseparating includes a separator for receiving material discharged bysaid second port, a receptacle beneath said separator for receivingsolid material separated by said separator, a conduit in said separatorfor receiving the gases separated by said separator, and a blowerconnected to said conduit for introducing said separated gases into saidchamber.
 6. An incinerator as defined in claim 1 including means forintroducing secondary air into said chamber tangentially to saidsidewall at an area downstream from the area of introduction of saidwaste material.
 7. An incinerator as defined in claim 1 wherein thecentral longitudinal axis of said chamber extends substantiallyhorizontally, said first port extending coaxially of said central axisthrough said one end wall, said second port extending tangentiallythrough said sidewall.
 8. An incinerator for burning waste materialcomprising in combination; a combustion chamber having spaced end wallsand a sidewall with its central longitudinal axis extending between saidend walls, means for introducing a mixture of waste material and airunder pressure into said chamber tangentially to said sidewall forestablishing a vortical movement of said waste material toward one ofsaid enD walls, means for igniting said waste material during itsvortical movement, discharge flue means extending substantiallycoaxially of said central longitudinal axis through said one end walland having an open end in said chamber spaced axially of said one endwall, and a second discharge port extending through said sidewalltangentially thereto adjacent said one end wall for discharging fromsaid chamber during the burning process residual combustible materialand noncombustible material which are entrained in the outer region ofthe vortex, whereby essentially solid-free gases are discharged by saidflue means.
 9. An incinerator as defined in claim 8 including a baffleplate mounted on said flue means adjacent the open end thereof to divertoutwardly toward said sidewall residual combustible material andnoncombustible material which move from adjacent said one end walltoward the open end of said flue means.
 10. An incinerator as defined inclaim 9 wherein said baffle plate overlies the open end of said fluemeans and includes an orifice having a diameter less than the diameterof the open end of said flue means, said baffle plate being removablymounted on said flue means.
 11. An incinerator as defined in claim 8including means for introducing secondary air into said chambertangentially to said sidewall at an area adjacent the bottom of saidchamber and downstream from the area of introduction of said wastematerial.
 12. An incinerator as defined in claim 9 including connectingmeans detachably connecting said flue means to said one end wall, saidconnecting means being accessible from the exterior of said chamber topermit detachment of said flue means from said one end wall andwithdrawal of said flue means and said baffle plate through said one endwall.
 13. An incinerator as defined in claim 8 including means forseparating the gases and the solid material discharged by said seconddischarge port and for introducing said separated gases and any solidparticles suspended therein back into said combustion chamber.
 14. Anincinerator as defined in claim 13 wherein said means for separatingincludes a separator for receiving material discharged by said secondport, a receptacle beneath said separator for receiving solid materialseparated by said separator, a conduit in said separator for receivingthe gases separated by said separator, and a blower connected to saidconduit for introducing said separated gases into said chamber.
 15. Anincinerator for burning waste material comprising in combination;size-reducing means for receiving waste material and reducing it insize, blower means for drawing the size-reduced material from thesize-reducing means and entraining it in an airstream, a generallycylindrical combustion chamber having spaced end walls and an annularsidewall, said chamber being disposed such that its central axis extendssubstantially horizontally, a conduit extending between said blowermeans and said chamber for delivering the entrained size-reducedmaterial to said chamber and introducing it into said chambertangentially to said sidewall for establishing a vortical movement ofsaid waste material toward one of said end walls, means for ignitingsaid waste material during its vortical movement, discharge flue meansextending substantially coaxially of said central axis through said oneend wall and having an open end in said chamber spaced axially of saidone end wall, a second discharge port having an open end opening in saidchamber at an area adjacent said one end wall and at the extremity ofthe inside diameter of said sidewall for discharging from said chamberduring the burning process residual combustible material andnoncombustible material which are entrained in the outer region of thevortex, and a baffle plate mounted on said flue means adjacent the openend thereof to divert outwardly toward said sidewall residualcombustible material and noncombustible materiAl which move fromadjacent said one end wall toward the open end of said flue means,whereby essentially solid-free gases are discharged by said flue means.16. An incinerator as defined in claim 15 wherein said baffle plateoverlies the open end of said flue means and includes an orifice havinga diameter less than the diameter of the open end of said flue means,said baffle plate being mounted for removal from said flue means.
 17. Anincinerator as defined in claim 15 including means for separating thegases and the solid material discharged by said second discharge meansand for introducing said separated gases and any solid particlessuspended therein back into said combustion chamber.
 18. An incineratoras defined in claim 17 wherein said means for separating includes aseparator for receiving material discharged by second port, a receptaclebeneath said separator for receiving solid material separated by saidseparator, a conduit in said separator for receiving the gases separatedby said separator, and a blower connected to said conduit forintroducing said separated gases into said chamber.
 19. An incineratoras defined in claim 15 wherein said second port extends tangentiallythrough said sidewall.
 20. An incinerator as defined in claim 15 whereinsaid conduit introduces the size-reduced material into said chamber atan area adjacent the top of the chamber at one side thereof, and meansfor introducing secondary air into said chamber tangentially to saidsidewall at an area which is downstream from the area of introduction ofthe size-reduced material and which is adjacent the bottom of thechamber at the opposite side thereof.
 21. An incinerator for burningwaste material comprising in combination; a combustion chamber havingspaced end walls and a sidewall with its central longitudinal axisextending between said end walls, means for introducing a mixture ofwaste material and air under pressure into said chamber tangentially tosaid sidewall for establishing a vortical movement of said wastematerial toward one of said end walls, means for igniting said wastematerial during its vortical movement, discharge port means in theregion of said one end wall for discharging from said chamber gaseousproducts of combustion, residual combustible material and noncombustiblematerial, and means connected to said discharge port means forseparating the gases and the solid material discharged by said dischargeport means and for introducing said separated gases and any solidparticles suspended therein back into said combustion chamber.
 22. Anincinerator as defined in claim 21 wherein said last-named meansincludes a separator for receiving the discharged material, a receptaclebeneath said separator for receiving solid material separated by saidseparator, a conduit in said separator for receiving the gases separatedby said separator, and a blower connected to said conduit forintroducing said separated gases into said chamber.
 23. An incineratoras defined in claim 22 wherein said waste material is introduced intosaid chamber at an area adjacent the top of the chamber at one sidethereof, said separated gases being introduced back into said chamber atan area which is downstream from the area of introduction of the wastematerial and which is adjacent the bottom of the chamber at the oppositeside thereof.